AboutChristopher Littrell Expertise I am capable of answering questions about the most common carnivorous plants found in cultivation. I have no personal experience with Byblis, Drosophyllum, Aldrovanda, Utricularia, and Heliamphora. I have not cultivated gemmae forming pygmy sundews nor tuberous sundews. For information regarding those aforementioned species, I would suggest contacting other experts. I can answer questions regarding most species of Nepenthes, tropical and temperate Drosera, Sarracenias, and Dionaea. I have some limited experience with growing Pinguicula, Cephalotus, and Darlingtonia.
Experience I have grown carnivorous plants off and on for about 27 years. I have made the same mistakes and suffered the same mishaps that many growers make as they attempt to separate the myths from the realities of growing these plants. Currently, I am successfully growing a variety of tropical sundews, a Nepenthes, several Venus Flytraps of varying ages, and Sarracenias. I have been successful in stratifying Sarracenia seeds and providing artificial dormancy requirements for my temperate plants when needed.
Education/Credentials I hold a Master's degree in Educational Psychology. Over my lifetime, I have constantly read books involving the growing conditions of carnivorous plants. I hope to incorporate the educational aspects involved in psychology with teaching other people how to cultivate carnivorous plants.
Question QUESTION: hi,
I have recently bought a nepenthe (Alata) and a flytrap from France and I brought them back to Canada few days ago. My nepenthe doesn't look really happy. I put it in my bathroom so that it could get more humidity, but somehow, (I havent remarked before) the leaves at the bottom started to become yellowish, and so is a little bit the stem. But, the rest of the plant seems fine...but I hope it is normal or I just killed it? I am only 16, so I don't keep track too much on the temp and humidity stuffs. But i give it rain water everyday, and no direct sun light.
Thank you for having read my emergency message. Please reply as soon as possible before my precious plant dies.
Sincerely
ANSWER: Hello Nicol,
Nepenthes like water, however; make sure you do not overdo it with watering. If the Nepenthes soil is wet constantly your plant could suffer from root rot. Just ensure that the soil is moist at all times, but never to the point of being wet. Yellow leaves are indications of too much or too little water, sunlight, and/or fertilizer. It sounds like you are being careful with the light source, but also make sure your plant gets enough sunlight to properly develop.
Root rot with Nepenthes will begin with the top of the plant, causing it to blacken and die all the way down to the soil, so it does not appear that root rot is occurring yet.
The lower leaves of Nepenthes tend to yellow and die off gradually. The bottom section of vine will grow out and lengthen, becoming woody and sparsly leaved, however; will eventually grow new vines out in all directions. When you bought the plant and moved it it might have not liked all the moving around and is expressing that displeasure by showing some discolored leaves. Your Nepenthes can adapt to almost any humidity if it is given enough time to do so slowly (not all Nepenthes are as adaptable, but alata can adapt well).
For now just keep the plant in a bright window and keep its soil moist... no water tray under the pot. Keep watch over its pitchers. If its pitchers begin to shrivel quickly, it has experienced a humidity drop too quickly. Keep the temperature comfortable, anything around 60-80F will be fine. Since it is tropical it will take offense at temperatures under 40-50F degrees. Similarly, it will not like temperatures of over 90-100 degrees.
Don't worry overmuch about your Nepenthes as it is one of the tougher plants out there despite seeming exotic and delicate. It can rebound from a variety of misshaps and surprise you with its tenacity. Just keep its environment stable for now and it should be fine.
Christopher
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QUESTION: Hi again,
Sorry, one last question,
Is fertilizer essential for my nepenthe(alata)'s healthy development?
THANK YOU!!!!
Answer Hi Nicol,
No... you should actually avoid fertilizing carnivorous plants of all types. It is too easy to overfertilize and damage or kill them than to let them trap a few insects and live. They will get all the fertilizer they need from their insect prey. If your Nepenthes loses all its pitchers and refuses to make more you can give it a foliar Orchid fertilizer, the liquid or water soluble kind, in a 1/8 to 1/4 strength mix. That would essentially be a quarter or less of what the directions tell you to mix... usually one spoon full of fertilizer per gallon of water, so you would only need one quarter spoon full or less. Only apply that with a light spray or by wiping it on the plant's leaves with a cloth. Only apply it once every couple of weeks to once a month at most. Once the plant starts making more pitchers stop fertilizing and let it catch insects.
If your Nepenthes does not lose its pitchers it will never need fertilizing at all. Make sure to always use nutrient poor Nepenthes mix, not potting soil or garden soil for your Nepenthes. Fertilizer in their soil will burn their roots and kill them like any other carnivorous plant. Such Nepenthes mix is usually one part unfertilized sphagnum peat moss, one part orchid bark, and one part coconut husk (this is a fast draining mix that holds just a little water in). Your Venus Flytrap would prefer one part sphagnum peat moss and one part perlite and will prefer more water than the Nepenthes. Leave a tray up to 1/4 the pot depth for the Venus Flytrap pot to sit in and it will be just right for the Flytrap's watering needs.
